10/25 Eagle Report

Sullivan Eagles football finished out their regular season schedule this past Thursday with a trip to Bonne Terre to take on the North County Raiders, a matchup that coach Eddie Haar didn’t want his team sleeping on.

This would be North County’s senior night, the type game where the emotion is on a level that you always have to be on your guard, and the Raiders certainly brought their game.

A healthy dose of Franky Erxleben is what the Raiders got early on as Sullivan was always able to move the ball. Some acrobatics by Colton Brendel helped the Eagles extend their first half lead.

North County was able to get momentum going with a special teams return for a touchdown that thrilled the home crowd, but the story of the night would end up being the Sullivan defense. A lot of sharp play came from junior quarterback Henry Allebach, but he was forced to rely on short passing that he could find, as the Eagles brought a lot of pressure throughout the game.

Sullivan was able to put in several of the freshmen that made the bus trip, helping players gain valuable experience, primarily about the fundamentals of proper tackling. All in all, Sullivan was able to prevail with a convincing 40-14 win over the well-coached Brian Jones squad.

The Eagles will now enjoy a bye week before their November 3 matchup against either Windsor (Imperial) or a rematch with the Union Wildcats. Sullivan fans certainly remember the tough 34-27 win in Week 3 over Union, a game in which it seemed like the last team with the ball was destined to walk out with the victory.

Coach Haar’s team was able to get the win on that particular Friday night, but beating the same team twice in the same year is always a difficult task. If they get past Windsor or Union, they would be in the District Championship game on November 10. Statistically speaking, their likely opponent would be Pacific, but could also be Affton, Gateway or Roosevent/Carnahan.

So how good are Sullivan’s odds? Very good. They’re the top-rated team in Class 4 District 2 for a reason. And with Chase Blue back on defense, the feel of the entire team is different and well-rounded. But everything will start with the big November 3 game after the bye.